Choosing an early education environment is a significant decision for parents. KLA Schools is a system that has grown from early success embracing the Reggio Emilia approach. After founder Roberto Ortega and his wife saw a strong positive response to initial schools from students, parents and educators alike, they decided to continue expanding, bringing their unique approach to more communities and strengthening the educational experience for the families they serve.
A key characteristic distinguishing KLA Schools is its commitment to a child-initiated and child-led curriculum. This approach operates under the philosophy that children are inherently capable and curious learners.
In contrast to traditional educational models where teachers might primarily lecture or follow a fixed manual to impart certain knowledge standards, KLA educators aim to explore alongside the child, acting as partners in the learning process. This method accommodates various learning styles, including visual, tactile and social learners, by respecting each child's learning journey.
At KLA Schools, while teachers are aware of the necessary learning milestones children need to achieve by the end of the school year, they use the child's natural interests as the starting point for learning.
“Children’s wants and interests need to be aligned with the academics,” Ortega said. “That's the challenge of the educator. It's aligning the academics and what they need to learn with their interests, with what's going to keep them with a light and a fire.”
For instance, if children show fascination with a topic like traveling, this interest can become the basis for projects that integrate different academic areas such as mathematics (discussing distance or weight), language (creating itineraries) and science (learning about transportation). When children are interested in the topic at hand, they approach the learning process more engaged and can both learn the information they need to and understand the practical applications.
This process is described not merely as unstructured play, but as a guided, professional and structured exploration. Child-led learning does not mean students will fail to meet their milestones.
“They have the learning milestones, but how do we achieve them?” Ortega said. “We achieve them by putting in place a curriculum that takes us to those learning milestones... we see what the children need to learn, and then we ‘poke’ the children with provocations every day to drive their interest."
Teachers are responsible for ensuring that essential skills and topics, like learning the alphabet or numbers, are covered within the context of these interest-driven projects. The belief is that children are more engaged and likely to learn when the learning aligns with their interests. Through this approach, children are encouraged to develop inquisitive minds and learn how to access information independently.
The physical space within KLA Schools is intentionally designed to support this learning model.
The environment is considered a "third teacher," playing an active role in the educational process. Classrooms and shared areas are designed with safety in mind and are tailored to the developmental stages of the children but deliberately set up to stimulate curiosity and encourage exploration.
Elements such as numbers, letters, shapes and colors are consistently present in the environment to facilitate observation and natural interaction with these concepts. The aim is to create spaces where children feel empowered to explore, make connections between different experiences and develop confidence. This approach emphasizes the interior learning environment as key, suggesting a great school doesn't necessarily require a specific building type, allowing for creative real estate solutions, including retrofitted spaces.
Effectively implementing a child-initiated model requires skilled educators. KLA Schools prioritizes hiring teachers with four-year college degrees, ideally in early childhood education or related fields like psychology, who possess an understanding of child development. This contrasts with industry standards in many states, where minimal training or a high school degree might suffice for classroom roles, demonstrating a clear commitment to quality above and beyond what’s typically required.
Additionally, the system maintains lower student-teacher ratios compared to typical industry standards. For example, a classroom for three-year-olds might have three head teachers, whereas the standard might be two. These lower ratios enable more personalized attention and support for each child, ensuring each student has the support they need to safely explore their environment and curiosities, strengthening the learning experience even more.
The educational model at KLA Schools acknowledges the importance of developing the whole child, emphasizing the interconnectedness of social-emotional growth and academic learning. These two aspects are seen as working together rather than in isolation.
"It's not one without the other; the two work together,” Ortega said. “Academics are very important. But children’s wants and interests need to be aligned with academics."
The approach values relationships — with families, peers and teachers — and encourages group work and collaboration. By supporting learning experiences rooted in children’s interests, educators can connect with students on an even more genuine level, seeing them for who they are and encouraging the balanced academic and emotional development of the child.
Investing in early childhood education is often viewed as an investment in a child's future foundation. By cultivating curiosity and connecting learning to individual interests, the system seeks to nurture lifelong learners. The goal is for children to be eager to understand, excited to learn, curious to explore and comfortable questioning.
This preparation is intended to benefit children not only as they transition to elementary school but also in navigating a dynamic world.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kla-schools.
KLA Schools
SPONSORED
The early childhood education franchise leverages child-initiated learning, smaller class sizes and thoughtful environments to support meaningful learning and lay a foundation for lifelong success.
Choosing an early education environment is a significant decision for parents. KLA Schools is a system that has grown from early success embracing the Reggio Emilia approach. After founder Roberto Ortega and his wife saw a strong positive response to initial schools from students, parents and educators alike, they decided to continue expanding, bringing their unique approach to more communities and strengthening the educational experience for the families they serve.
A key characteristic distinguishing KLA Schools is its commitment to a child-initiated and child-led curriculum. This approach operates under the philosophy that children are inherently capable and curious learners.
In contrast to traditional educational models where teachers might primarily lecture or follow a fixed manual to impart certain knowledge standards, KLA educators aim to explore alongside the child, acting as partners in the learning process. This method accommodates various learning styles, including visual, tactile and social learners, by respecting each child's learning journey.
At KLA Schools, while teachers are aware of the necessary learning milestones children need to achieve by the end of the school year, they use the child's natural interests as the starting point for learning.
“Children’s wants and interests need to be aligned with the academics,” Ortega said. “That's the challenge of the educator. It's aligning the academics and what they need to learn with their interests, with what's going to keep them with a light and a fire.”
For instance, if children show fascination with a topic like traveling, this interest can become the basis for projects that integrate different academic areas such as mathematics (discussing distance or weight), language (creating itineraries) and science (learning about transportation). When children are interested in the topic at hand, they approach the learning process more engaged and can both learn the information they need to and understand the practical applications.
This process is described not merely as unstructured play, but as a guided, professional and structured exploration. Child-led learning does not mean students will fail to meet their milestones.
“They have the learning milestones, but how do we achieve them?” Ortega said. “We achieve them by putting in place a curriculum that takes us to those learning milestones... we see what the children need to learn, and then we ‘poke’ the children with provocations every day to drive their interest."
Teachers are responsible for ensuring that essential skills and topics, like learning the alphabet or numbers, are covered within the context of these interest-driven projects. The belief is that children are more engaged and likely to learn when the learning aligns with their interests. Through this approach, children are encouraged to develop inquisitive minds and learn how to access information independently.
The physical space within KLA Schools is intentionally designed to support this learning model.
The environment is considered a "third teacher," playing an active role in the educational process. Classrooms and shared areas are designed with safety in mind and are tailored to the developmental stages of the children but deliberately set up to stimulate curiosity and encourage exploration.
Elements such as numbers, letters, shapes and colors are consistently present in the environment to facilitate observation and natural interaction with these concepts. The aim is to create spaces where children feel empowered to explore, make connections between different experiences and develop confidence. This approach emphasizes the interior learning environment as key, suggesting a great school doesn't necessarily require a specific building type, allowing for creative real estate solutions, including retrofitted spaces.
Effectively implementing a child-initiated model requires skilled educators. KLA Schools prioritizes hiring teachers with four-year college degrees, ideally in early childhood education or related fields like psychology, who possess an understanding of child development. This contrasts with industry standards in many states, where minimal training or a high school degree might suffice for classroom roles, demonstrating a clear commitment to quality above and beyond what’s typically required.
Additionally, the system maintains lower student-teacher ratios compared to typical industry standards. For example, a classroom for three-year-olds might have three head teachers, whereas the standard might be two. These lower ratios enable more personalized attention and support for each child, ensuring each student has the support they need to safely explore their environment and curiosities, strengthening the learning experience even more.
The educational model at KLA Schools acknowledges the importance of developing the whole child, emphasizing the interconnectedness of social-emotional growth and academic learning. These two aspects are seen as working together rather than in isolation.
"It's not one without the other; the two work together,” Ortega said. “Academics are very important. But children’s wants and interests need to be aligned with academics."
The approach values relationships — with families, peers and teachers — and encourages group work and collaboration. By supporting learning experiences rooted in children’s interests, educators can connect with students on an even more genuine level, seeing them for who they are and encouraging the balanced academic and emotional development of the child.
Investing in early childhood education is often viewed as an investment in a child's future foundation. By cultivating curiosity and connecting learning to individual interests, the system seeks to nurture lifelong learners. The goal is for children to be eager to understand, excited to learn, curious to explore and comfortable questioning.
This preparation is intended to benefit children not only as they transition to elementary school but also in navigating a dynamic world.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/kla-schools.
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